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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar) Dominican champion still unbeaten in Serie del Caribe Nederlands MAZATLÁN (México) - Águilas Cibaeñas, the champion of the professional Winter League in the Dominican Republic, is the lone unbeaten team of the Serie del Caribe. On Tuesday (February 2), Day 3 of the event, Águilas recorded its third victory, a 11-6 win against Federales de Chririquí, which represents Panama and also had won its first two games. Criollos de Caguas (Puerto Rico) won its second game of the tournament on Tuesday, winning 6-4 against host Tomateros de Culiacán (México), which now has lost two days in a row. Day 3 began with the game between the two winless teams after two days. Venezuelan champion Caribes de Anzoátegui nipped Caimanes de Barranquilla (Colombia) 1-0 to record its first win. This means that Caimanes now is the lone team without a win. The event went underway on Sunday. All teams will face each other in the tournament through Thursday. On Friday, the top-four will play in the Semi-Finals. The two winners then will meet in the Final on Saturday. All games are played in Estadio Teodoro Mariscal, which is the home of Venados de Mazatlán. Spectators are allowed, but only 40 percent of the stadium's seating capacity (which is 16.000) will be used, due to the corona-measures. All spectators must wear face coverings and observe social distances. (February 2)

Caribes de Anzoátegui (Venezuela) vs. Caimanes de Barranquilla (Colombia) Caribes de Anzoátegui recorded its first win of the tournament and needed only one run to do so. That run was scored in the third inning. Besides scoring only one run, the Venezuelan team also was limited to only one basehit by four pitchers. Caimanes collected five basehits. Caribes-starter Guillermo Moscoso threw the first five innings. The 37-year old righthander struckout six batters and gave up three basehits. In the next four innings, a new pitcher was inserted each time. Moscoso played in the Major League in 2009-2013 for four teams. He then also played in three seasons (2014-2016) in Japan. Hereafter, he went on to play in México. Caimanes-starter Randy Consuegra threw the first three innings and gave up the lone Venezuelan run and the lone basehit. Caribes was retired in order in the first inning. In the second at bat, the team got a baserunner, but he was eliminated in a double play, which was a pick-off at first base by the catcher after the batter struckout. And that ended the inning. In the third inning, the lone Venezuelan basehit accounted for the lone run. Luis Sardiñas led off with a walk and advanced on a grounder by Jesús Sucre. Moments later, Sardiñas scored on a double by Herlis Rodríguez. Next batter Niuman Romero walked, but two runners were left behind. In the remainder of the game, Caribes got two more runners in scoring position. In the fourth, a runner stranded on second base and in the eighth, a runner was left behind on third base. Caimanes got a runner on second base with two outs in the top of the second inning when Jordan Díaz doubled, but a flyout followed. In the third, Brallan Pérez doubled with two outs, then Evan Mendoza walked. This time, a line drive was caught in centerfield to end the at bat. In the fifth and sixth inning, Caimanes left another runner behind on second base. The team was retired in order in the eighth and ninth inning.

Federales de Chiriquí (Panama) vs. Águilas Cibaeñas (Dominican Republic) Dominican champion Águilas Cibaeñas was outhit 10-9, but led 8-1 after five innings. Federales scored five of its sixth runs in the bottom of the ninth, but trailed 11-1 when the at bat began. American righthander Joe Van Meter started for Águilas and gave up only three basehits in the six innings he pitched, striking out five batters. Two relievers gave up six basehits in the ninth inning. Both teams scored in the first inning. In the top of the first, Águilas got the bases loaded with one out via a walk and two singles, then a sacrifice fly by Melky Cabrera brought in the run. In the bottom of the first, Federales erased the early deficit by scoring on an error. Águilas then broke the 1-1 tie in the top of the fourth, scoring three unearned runs with two outs. After a lead-off single by Junior Lake, starting pitcher Edgardo Sandoval was relieved by Eury De La Rosa. He got the bases loaded when the next batter reached on an error and another batter was hit by a pitch with one out. De La Rosa followed with a strikeout, but then two runs were scored when Juan Lagares reached on a throwing error. A single by Robinson Canó then brought in the third run. The Dominicans staged a 4-run rally in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Francisco Peña delivered a baseclearing, 3-run double. Peña advanced to third base on the throw to the plate and later scored himself on a sacrifice fly by Juan Lagares. Two more runs were added in the eighth, thanks to a 2-run double by Melky Cabrera. A 2-out single by Yefri Pérez accounted for another run in the ninth and lifted the lead to 11-1. After scoring in the first inning, Federales got its next runner in scoring position in the eighth, but he stranded on second base. But in the bottom of the ninth, Federales suddenly staged a rally and came back into the game. With one out, reliever Michael Tonkin got the bases loaded when Héctor Gómez, Carlos Quiroz and Carlos Sánchez all singled. A walk for Rodrigo Orozco then led to a run. After a strikeout accounted for the second out, Tonkin gave up runscoring singles to Belarmino Campos and Allen Córdoba, which kept the bases loaded. Jhan Mariñez then took over the pitching, but also gave up an RBI-single to Willy García, which made it an 11-5 score. Another run was then scored when David Rodríguez walked, but with the bases still loaded, Mariñez closed the game with a strikeout.

Criollos de Caguas (Puerto Rico) vs. Tomateros de Culiacán (México) Criollos de Caguas broke a 2-2 tie with a 3-run rally in the fifth inning. From there, the team was in charge of the game. Criollos collected ten basehits, Tomateros got eight. In the top of the second inning, the Puerto Rican champion opened the score. With two outs, Juan Centeno doubled, then Edwin Díaz followed with a homerun. In the bottom of the second, Tomateros also scored twice with two outs. With two runners on base, singles by Juan Carlos Gamboa and Jesús Fabela brought in the runs and tied the score. Criollos then rallied for three runs in the fifth inning. Lead-off hitter Edwin Díaz struckout, but reached on a wild pitch, then scored the go-ahead run on a following triple by Jarren Duran. With one out and after an intentional walk for Yadi Molina, the next run was scored on a single by Vimael Machin. Next, a walk for Emmanuel Rivera loaded the bases. A sacrifice fly by Rey Fuentes brought in Machin and made it a 5-2 score. Criollos scored its sixth run in the top of the sixth. With two outs, Edwin Díaz was hit by a pitch and later scored on a single by Henry Ramos. Trailing 6-2, Tomateros came back with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Lead-off hitter Juan Carlos Gamboa reached second base on an error, then scored on a double by Jesús Fabela. After a pitching change, Fabela scored on a 2-out single by Sebastián Elizalde Ramos, but reliever Andy Maldonado then closed with a strikeout. The Mexicans were retired in order in the next two at bats.

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